


And Then There Were Four...Really

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:50:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“They're fine Liv, I don’t want you worrying.  Everything is good at home.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Then There Were Four...Really

“Is mom going to talk to us with her face tonight?”

“I'm sure she’s going to Skype and say goodnight just like she has every night she’s been away.”

“Why did she leave us anyway?” Hope asked.

“She didn’t exactly leave us, it’s just a vacation. Sometimes adults need to get away from it all.” Rafael replied. “It’s something you'll understand better when you’re a little older, mi dulce.”

“We could've gone with her…we would've been good. Well, I would've been good.”

“I'm sure you would've, but she needed to get away from everything. That means work, home, kids, dogs, all of it. It’s not because you're not good. Mom just needed rest and relaxation.”

“Well I don’t like it.”

“I know. She’ll be home soon and you can tell her how much you missed her, OK? Lucia, I'm pretty sure that’s enough cheese.”

“Pretty sure or all the way sure?” Lucia asked.

“All the way sure.” Rafael smirked. “OK guys, let's put some pepperonis on this one. What do you want on the second one?”

“More cheese!” Hope exclaimed.

“Maybe hot dogs.” Lucia said.

“Hot dogs.” Noah smiled and nodded.

“Hot dogs aren’t the best choice and no more cheese. I'm not having mom come home to a bunch of constricted kids who all point at dad.”

“What's constricted mean?” Noah asked. He threw a few pepperonis on the pizza but let his sisters run the show.

Rafael decided that he would let the kids make dinner with him tonight as a way for all of them to spend time together. He bought two packages of ready-made pizza crust, tomato sauce, loads of mozzarella cheese, and pepperonis. It seemed to be a good idea, they all enjoyed getting their hands messy. He put the girls in their smocks and it was a good thing too; those stains would've never come out of their clothes.

“It means you can't poop.”

“Eww, daddy.” Lucia wrinkled her nose as Hope laughed. “You can't talk about poop around pizza.”

“Well that’s what it means.” Rafael smiled. “Josiah, do you want a say on toppings?”

“No sir.” The eight year old shook his head. “It looks OK, I like pepperonis.”

He was on the fringes of the entire event, as he had been since coming to stay with them last week. Rafael wasn’t even sure he wanted Liv to go away even though he was the one who suggested it. Josiah had warmed to the police officer but was still quiet and rather skittish around her husband. They both knew that he didn’t have the best experiences with men in his life. His father abused his mother and his “Uncle”, his Aunt’s boyfriend, possibly murdered his mother. 

Rafael did his best to be calm, open, and friendly. He told Josiah that he was always available to talk and ask things. If he felt uncomfortable while Lieutenant Benson was gone then just make sure he talked to Noah. So far Noah had been Switzerland, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit. He was a fantastic big brother, taking immediately to Josiah with his quiet but jovial nature. 

Noah didn’t even mind giving up the top bunk in his room so the boy would have somewhere to sleep. Rafael kept a look out for signs of jealousy or weariness but Noah seemed fine. The twins were a bit more clingy than usual though. They were staking their parental territory; both Rafael and Olivia wanted to make sure that didn’t get out of control.

“Daddy?”

“Yes Lucia?”

“Can dogs eat pepperoni?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Rafael shook his head.

“Oh…oops.”

“Don’t feed the dog pepperoni, you crazy child.” He laughed despite himself, the look on her face showed not a single sign of remorse. “Alright guys, we need to put our pizzas in the oven for about 35 minutes and then we can enjoy them. I want you guys to wash up while they bake.”

“I bet they won't taste like the pizza we sometimes eat on Friday.” Hope said.

“They’ll taste better.” Noah said.

“No they won't.” Lucia shook her head. “Food the deliveryman brings is the best. But I promise to eat it anyway, Daddy.”

“Do I ever tell you how much you remind me of your abuelita?” Rafael asked.

“Yes!”

“Here’s to hoping you grow out of that.” He grinned and playfully pinched her nose. “Now who’s going to help me clean up?”

Suddenly everyone was in a rush to go and wash their hands and everything else. Josiah lingered behind the mad dash out of the kitchen.

“I can help, Mr. Rafael.” He said.

“Oh great. I’m going to put these pizzas in the oven. I want you to grab the shopping bag and throw out all the little bags. Then you can sweep the leftover cheese and dust off the table.”

“OK.”

Humphrey stuck around to watch Josiah work in case he was in the mood to slip him some cheese or pepperoni. The dog gave him the sweetest looks he could, even a little whimper, but Josiah didn’t buy it.

“Give it up, Humph.” Rafael said. “You're probably full of pepperoni right now.” He handed Josiah a soapy cloth after taking the trash bag from him. “Now you can just wipe down the table and you'll be done. Thanks for staying to help.”

“I used to help mama and auntie clean before and after dinner at home.” He said. “You're not allowed to eat all the good stuff if you don’t help.”

“That’s a good philosophy to have. Maybe we can work together to make that a new house rule around here. You did a really great job cleaning up.”

“Thanks. Here’s the rag, Mr. Rafael.”

“Thanks.” Rafael smiled.

Josiah went upstairs to wash up for dinner with the rest of the kids. Rafael got a beer from the fridge and went into his study to pass the time until it was time to check on the pizza. Day 3 was going well so far, and Liv would be back on Friday. This was actually the first time since Noah was their only child that Rafael was spending an extended amount of time alone with the kids. He was fully prepared for just about anything but so far things had been quiet. 

The kids, including Josiah, went to school and did all their normal after school activities. In the evenings there was dinner, homework, dog walking, and some TV. Dad solved problems, read stories, and gave hugs. He was pretty proud of himself but refused to pat himself on the back. Being a good father was something he was supposed to be, no extra credit needed. Anyway, with kids it could all change in an instant.

***

“Have I mentioned how much like my mother Lucia is?” Rafael asked.

“Only all the time.” Liv laughed some. “Are the kids really alright?”

“You saw them with your own eyes earlier. They're fine Liv, I don’t want you worrying. Everything is good at home. Tonight we made pizza and got messy. It was pretty good.”

“Homework all done?”

“Yes, mom it is. The boys were hanging out in here earlier watching some _Adventure Time_ reruns while I talked to Trevor. He says hello by the way.”

“The boys.” She let out a happy sigh.

“Don’t do that.”

“I'm not doing anything.”

“Oh yes you are.” Rafael said. “You're doing that. Tell me about your day today.”

“We went rock climbing and hiking. Oh Rafi, the skies were the most beautiful blue…I took some great pictures. We saw all kinds of birds and Melinda thought she saw a bobcat. I didn’t get a picture though. Then we had dinner and it was salsa night so we danced the evening away. It felt so good just to let my hair down.”

“How many men tried to pick you two up?”

“Way too many to count.” Olivia laughed. “We’ve picked up some friends, three older British ladies who are staying across the hall from us. We've been hanging out with them and they shoo away all the wannabe suitors. Melinda managed to keep one, and he's handsome.”

“So Melinda is getting her groove back?” Rafael laughed.

“You know what she does for a living; she's not trusting a guy on vacation. But she did dance and laugh a lot tonight. Our hike guide flirted with her relentlessly this afternoon…stop it, Melinda, yes he did. I miss you.”

“I miss you too, mi amor. You sound relaxed though so it’s worth the extra white hairs I'm getting.”

“I keep telling you you're going to be a sexy silver fox.”

“Is Melinda laughing now?” Rafael asked.

“She is.” Olivia laughed. “She's also making a face. They say there's going to be rain tomorrow so we’re planning to sleep in, have a light brunch, and then do the spa day. It'll be the perfect way to end our time here. I want to come back nice and relaxed. Is Josiah doing alright?”

“He helped me clean the kitchen tonight. Right before bed Noah was teaching him a few chords on his guitar. He's still quiet, with me at least, but I know he feels safe. Tomorrow evening I'm going to have them all play a game together, spend some time challenging each other. Oh, and the light on Lucia’s light saber finally died. I replaced the battery but that didn’t fix it. She wants me to buy her a new one this weekend.”

“She's taking well to the fencing classes. I think it was a good idea. The bus will pick her and Hope up from school tomorrow to go to the community center. Lucia’s lessons last for a little over an hour. Hope usually does homework and plays games with the other kids.”

“Josiah is going to be with the girls at the community center and Noah has afterschool tutoring.” Rafael said. “Who do I pick up; who gets dropped off?”

“The girls and Josiah will be dropped off around five and Charmaine is there to greet them. Noah usually walks home since the tutoring center is only five blocks from home.”

“He's not too young to walk home?”

“No, he's fine. We've talked about paying attention to his surroundings, never talking to strangers, and not to play his music too loud in his ears. He asked me for this one concession and I gave it to him.”

“Then I'm going to do my best not to worry because I have a full day on campus tomorrow. I canceled my six to nine seminar tonight to be home with the kids so there will be classes and office hours tomorrow along with a morning staff meeting. Luckily the kids walk to school together because I’ll have just enough time to give them breakfast before I have to leave myself. I'm taking the train into Manhattan.”

“Alright honey, well you need to get some rest.” Olivia said.

“I wish you were here so I could wrap my arms around you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear.”

“The day after tomorrow I will be.”

“What time does your flight land?” Rafael asked.

“Two thirty. And I'm not going to the precinct, I'm coming straight home. I'm not going to the precinct until Tuesday morning like I promised.”

“How many times have you called Dodds?”

“Twice a day…no more than 10 minutes.” Liv replied.

“I'm proud of you, honey.

“I love you, Counselor.”

“I love you too. I'm going to check on the kids once more and then I'm going to bed too. Enjoy the rest of your night, tell Melinda that I said hello.”

“I will. Sweet dreams.”

“Buenos noches, la novia.”

With a sweet kissing noise, Rafael hung up his phone. He put it down on the nightstand before getting out of bed. The kids were all supposed to be asleep so checking on them would be easy. He went to the twins’ room first since they were sometimes known to be up chattering instead of snoozing. 

The Barbie lamp in the room was burning but Lucia and Hope were sound asleep. He could usually tell when they were faking him out, this looked real. Rafael stared just a moment longer and then went to check on Noah and Josiah. Josiah was on the top bunk. Since Noah didn’t mind the dark anymore, he'd given Josiah a book lamp to wrap around one of the posters of his bed. 

That way he wasn’t in complete darkness and Noah wasn’t bothered by the light. Music was playing, softly, Rafael had no idea how Noah slept with music on. He couldn’t make out who was singing but it was surely one of those modern rock bands from the 90s Noah liked so much. He'd gotten that from his mother for sure.

Humphrey was in the master bedroom tonight and no matter how much of the big brown eyes he gave his master, he wasn’t getting in the bed. Growing by leaps and bounds, he was already on his second doggy bed, which looked quite cozy. He had two pillows and a stuffed lavender hippo that the kids called his girlfriend. He dragged her everywhere but was gentler with her than the other dog toys he destroyed on the monthly basis. 

Another night was over. Rafael went to use the bathroom, wash his face, and brush his teeth. When he came back, he turned out all the lights but one before getting into bed. Humphrey was in his dog bed with his stuffed best friend ready to call it a night as well.

Just two more days until Rafael was sharing his bed with his wife again. She only left for five days but it was hard. Not having her to talk to at the end of a long day. Not sharing meals or walking the dog together for a bit of alone time in the evenings. Not touching her or kissing her or holding her hand for five days was really difficult. 

But it was also good for both of them. Olivia needed to get away, there was no debate about that. But Rafael also felt he needed to be on his own for a little while, doing the dad thing and handling work, home, and kids. Being apart was healthy even if it was agonizing.

Biting back a yawn, he turned the lamp out. Rafael made sure the alarm on his phone was set…he never using clock alarms to wake up in the morning. Putting the phone back on the nightstand, he turned on his back and looked at the ceiling. It would take a little while to shake off the day. 

Rafael closed his eyes but opened them again. He wasn’t quite ready. He turned on his side and sighed. Then the dog jumped into bed. Humphrey immediately sat, his hippo in his mouth, and gave him the eyes. They were called puppy dog eyes for a reason.

“Mom won't be pleased with this turn of events when she gets back.” Rafael said, petting the dog’s head. “So I'm going to say just for tonight buddy and we’ll renegotiate terms of the agreement in the morning. Sound good?”

Humphrey dropped his hippo and cuddled his big head close to Rafael’s chest. Smiling and settling into his pillow, he sighed before closing his eyes again. The dog never slept in their bed and they probably shouldn’t make a habit out of it. Rafael needed the company tonight though. The German shepherd was a warm companion; his master was comforted and would be asleep in no time.

***


End file.
